Miike Takahashi: sex, gore and rock and roll

Ever tried to explore the realm of audio-visual violence? Perhaps you’ve heard of the term gore movies and the man behind them, Miike Takahashi. Miike is a highly creative and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over 70 theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing no fewer than 14 productions.

Here is a brief biography of Miike Takahashi:

Miike Takahashi was born August 24, 1960, in Osaka, Japan. His earliest venture into filmmaking was as an assistant director on ZEGEN, with Shohei Imamura as the master director. In 1989, Miike returned to assist on BLACK RAIN (KUROI AMEI), Imamura’s devastating masterpiece on the A-bombing of Hiroshima, its victims and the aftermath.

Miike directed his first film in 1991 for direct-to-video release.  In early 90’s, he made and directed films like A HUNDRED MILLION YEN’S WORTH OF LOVE AND BETRAYAL (1991), LADY HUNTER: PRELUDE TO MURDER (1991), A HUMAN MURDER WEAPON (1992), and a well improved version of the BODYGUARD KIBA stories (1993-1995).

The first film that made him controversial outside Japan was SHINJUKU TRIAD SOCIETY in 1995. After that, film festival around the world long and screech for Miike’s product. Booking SHINJUKU TRIAD SOCIETY and its sequels RAINY DOG (1997) AND LEY LINES (1999).

1999 was a good year for Miike.  It was the year where Miike breaks out on the international front with the movie, AUDITION, a gaily-subversive horror romance film, and exhilaratingly deconstructive action hit DEAD OR ALIVE. These films were followed by phantasmagorical bedlam-and-beauty movies such as CITY OF LOST SOULS (2000), ICHI, THE KILLER (2001), GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (2002), GOZU (2003), ONE MISSED CALL (2003), THREE…EXTREMES (2004), and IZO (2005).

Miike Takahashi is an intuitive filmmaker, who always wanted to deliver the unexpected. He also has a wicked sense of black humor, enlightening in destabilized genres like the horror and yakuza film, colonizing his films with very modern characters who have suffered mentally and emotionally. He could easily transform a ruthless monster into a very vulnerable and helpless human being. A good example of this is the concurrently horrific yet hilarious manga-based yakuza thriller, ICHI, THE KILLER. He can slice up one whole Japanese family with a certain, merciless but eventually, with a compassionate eye, like the one in 2001, entitled, VISITOR Q (an agonizingly humorous film that breaks every taboo including incest and necrophilia, and also features a lunatic father, a drug-addicted mom, a bullied son, and a young whore daughter. How sick and twisted is this family, right?

These are only some of his brilliant ideas. And if you were intrigued just by reading this post, I mean article, what more if you have watched one, two, or three of his masterpiece? Believe me, once you start watching with one movie, you’d thirst and crave for more Miike Takahashi movies and products. Think your tough enough? Wait till you see his gore movies. It’ll probably make you sick and make you laugh all at the same time. So, better get your own copy now, it’s an investment!

Watch out for my upcoming articles about Miike Takahashi's movies.